.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

A few weeks ago, just days before we left for a beach vacation, I had a hankering for fish tacos. The problem arose when I couldn't decide whether to go light with grilled fish, or go all out and do beer-battered fried fish tacos. I shared my conundrum both on Twitter and with Joey, and the resounding response was for beer-battered. So I essentially had no choice in the matter.

I've had this recipe saved for almost a year, so I was excited to try out the IPA batter. IPA is probably my favorite type of beer, and I have missed it terribly throughout this pregnancy. I used Sweetwater IPA, which is from a local Atlanta brewery that we love to support. Their IPA has a distinct grapefruit taste, and I thought the citrus would pair wonderfully with the tacos. The batter was crisp yet still light, and the fish was perfectly cooked.

As far as the toppings go, I did my own thing and came up with a mango salsa and avocado crema. Both complemented the fish well, and the avocado crema was especially tasty as a dip for the leftover fish. I actually set out to fry my own shells for these, but decided at the last minute that frying the fish was enough for me this time. But I think the crispy shells would have been great as well.

I try to cook healthy meals more often than not, so something like this is most definitely a rare treat versus a weekly indulgence, but we certainly enjoyed it. And who knows, maybe it will make another appearance this summer...

Beer Battered Fish Tacos

For the Fish:

1 lb firm white fish (cod, haddock, halibut, etc)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup beer, preferably IPA

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

vegetable oil, for frying

Mango Salsa

2 mangos, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, diced

2 T diced red onion

juice of 1 lime

1/8 tsp chili powder

2 Tbs minced fresh cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Avocado Crema

1 avocado, pitted

1-2 Tbs plain yogurt

1 Tbs sour cream

juice of 1/2 lime

hot sauce to taste

salt and pepper to taste

To Serve:

taco shells, hard or soft

lime wedges

hot sauce

Combine 1 cup of the flour, paprika, chili powder, cumin, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the beer, whisk to combine, and let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes to allow the yeasts to develop.

Meanwhile, pat the fish dry, season with salt and pepper, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Toss with the remaining 1/2 cup flour.

To prepare the mango salsa, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Taste and season with more salt, lime, or hot sauce if necessary.

For the avocado crema, use a fork to mash the avocado in a medium bowl. Add the yogurt, sour cream, hot sauce, and lime, and continue mashing to form a smooth sauce. Add more yogurt or sour cream to achieve your desired consistency, and season with salt and hot sauce.

To fry the fish, heat 1/2-inch oil in a large skillet to 375 degrees. Working in batches, shake off the excess flour from the fish, then coat with the beer batter. Being careful not to overcrowd the pan, fry in the hot oil 3-5 minutes, or until golden-brown and cooked through. You may need to test a few in the first batch to get the time right. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain, and repeat with remaining fish.

To assemble, warm the tortillas and fill with fish. Drizzle with avocado crema and top with mango salsa. Serve with lime wedges and additional hot sauce if desired.

16
comments:

Jenn Williams
said...

Yay Josie! Another female who loves IPA?!? (I find them few and far between!) And what can be better than a recipe for fish tacos made with Sweetwater IPA? I'm definitely putting THIS recipe in the menu rotation for next week! Thanks! :-)

I made these tonight for my mother and they were great. I used tilapia but the fish held together well and came out nice and crispy. The avocado crema leftover i will probably use as a sandwich spread, very tasty. It took me a while to make, but that was mostly because i'm really slow at chopping, and peeling mangos. Definitely worth it!

I was wondering if it would be possible to feature your recipe on CraftBeer.com? CraftBeer.com is published by the Brewers Association and aims to elevate the status of craft beer and educate beer enthusiasts on the awesome things craft beer can bring to food.

I would create a post similar to this one: http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/beer-and-food/recipes/recipes-list/show?title=garlic-salted-beer-baked-french-fries and include your bio/photo/link to your blog.

Please let me know if this would be alright or if you have any questions.

WOW - we just finished eating this incredible meal! I couldn't find any mangos so used pineapple instead and also added some tomatoes in addition to all your ingredients. We also added a bit of peri peri hot sauce to give it a South African flare. We couldn't stop mmmming the entire meal and ate way way too much! LOVED these.

2009-present. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material and/or photographs without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Josie and Pink Parsley with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.